


What's in a name

by JustLittleMe



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Lesbians, Original Characters - Freeform, Trans Character, bad government, souldmate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 02:19:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9413567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLittleMe/pseuds/JustLittleMe
Summary: AU: Every person are born with one name on each wrist, their true love on the left, and their true enemy on the right. Ellie Martin has her own name on both, and while trying to cope, she meets Valarie, who are protesting the very foundation of their government.





	

There had never been a proper explanation for it. No one knew why or where they came from, and certainly not how they appeared. They had theories of course, myths and stories about true love and powerful loathing, but there was no proof to any of it. Of course, as predictable as humanity was, they let it control their lives. They let it decide whom they should seek out, and whom they should avoid.

It was the names, of course, the names that every person in the world were born with. Small neat ink black letters on the inside of both wrists of every human being to ever walk the earth. There had never been two humans with the same names, and no one had ever had their own name written on their wrist.

One of the most popular theories about these two names was that one was meant to be your nemesis, your worst enemy in the entire world, and people spent their lives hating anyone who were unlucky enough to be written on the inside of their right wrist. The other name, on the other wrist, were said to be the names of your soulmate, your one true love. People spent their lives looking for that one person with the name they bore on their left wrist.

Why humanity had decided that left equals love and right equals hate was unexplainable, but it seemed to be a deep instinct that every person on earth felt. No one ever had to tell them, they just knew.

These names had become an obsession, and there were rules in society built on the fact that everyone was born with these names. Marriage was only permitted for people with matching names on their left wrist, as was adoption. Hospital visits followed this as well. There were also court cases and restraining orders based purely on the name of a person’s right wrist. Society was ruled by the obsession of these names, and it seemed to work, as the rules had always been that the names on your writs are always different, never your own, and always yours.

Alas, there will always be exceptions to the rules. Where the society that humanity had built seemed flawless, perfect, indestructible, there are will always be people who do not fit the expectations. Ellie Martin was one of these people.

 Born to suburban parents with matching names, Ellie had had the perfect life growing up, never missing anything, except names that made sense. When Ellie had been born, her parents and the doctors had been horrified by the name written on both her left and her right wrist; Ellie Martin.

Ellie was one of the few exceptions to the rules of society, to the rules of the biology as humanity had come to know it. Having her own name on both wrist went against everything society had ever thought about the mystic names, and Ellie’s life was marked by it from the start.

Her parents, though horrified, still loved her, as any parent should. And they took her to see multiple doctors and therapists. Ellie, on the other hand, had never seen the point. She was aware of the consequences that would meet her later in life because of the name, but she had never had a problem with it herself, until she starting seeing the therapists.

Over the years, multiple people tried to convince Ellie that something was wrong with her, that she was broken somehow, that having her own name on both wrists meant that she was flawed. And in the end, the young girl started believing it herself.

Ashamed of being different, wrong, and broken, Ellie had taken to wearing wide wristbands tied around both wrists before she had even started high school. While this was not usual for people to do, it was still common enough to spare Ellie pitying looks from her classmates.

There were others at school that wore the wristbands as well, though Ellie had never dared talk to them. There was a gang of young people, all with the heavy cloth tied around each wrist, but they did not seem ashamed, they seemed angry. Ellie heard a lot about these people, they were all marked down as trouble makers, creating chaos and wreaking havoc, not only in the school hallways, but out in the city as well. They were protesting.

When Ellie started asking around about them, people scoffed and told her to stay away from them. They were just young nameless children who had no idea what they were talking about. They were protesting the very way the society was built up, and Ellie could not help but be intrigued, despite the warnings from the people around her.

The group was made up by students from her school, and while the people that showed to their events and school ground protests seemed to vary, there was one person that was constant in the group.

Valarie.

Valarie was loud and confident, she seemed almost proud of the black leather she used to cover her wrists. She was also never afraid of voicing her opinions, which is exactly what she was doing the day Ellie talked to her for the first time.

It had been the first day of school their senior year, and Valarie and her social justice group were all gathered on the lawn by the main entrance of the school, posters and signs held high as they screamed and yelled out their hatred for the unjust system that wished to bury their struggles.

Ellie had stepped of the buss, her backpack slung over one shoulder as she fastened her eyes on Valarie’s wild curly hair. Her steps were fast and strong, she had had the whole summer to think and wonder, and she had decided that she no longer wanted to be afraid. Ellie Martin had decided that she did not want to let the therapists tell her that she should be ashamed and scared of having her own name written on her body as both her true love and her worst enemy. Ellie Martin was done letting her parents control her life, and she wanted change.

When she finally reached Valarie, the taller girl had taken one long look at the dedication in Ellie’s eyes, and after a short glance down at her covered wrists, she had silently handed over one of the extra posters she had lying at her feet.

Ellie took the sign and raised it above her head, joining the group in their yelling and screaming for justice for those who lived outside society, those who were rejected by the very system that had been built to help the majority. The system was built to help the “normal” people, and control the ones that did not fit into the narrow definition that was considered ordinary or typical.

Ellies parents despaired over the people their little girl was hanging out with. They thought Valarie to be a bad influence, and that Ellie would forget who she was and change into someone that could not be helped. The Martin family fell apart at the seams as Ellie’s parents tried to persuade her to stop her contact with Valarie and her group, but Ellie refused.

They had a fight, things were thrown around the living room, their voices raised for the neighbours to hear, and the life Ellie ones had known fell apart. Her parents were slaves to the system, captured as children and held hostage among the bigotry and the assumptions that everything different was bad. Ellie was different. Ellie was bad. Ellie had stopped listening.

She left that night, packed her bags and left the house, her parents sitting on the sofa crying as she slammed the door behind her and stormed out into the dark streets. Ellie wandered around in the night for hours before she found what she was looking for.

It was a small night open café hidden in the shadow of a tall skyscraper, tucked into a forgotten corner of the big city. Ellie could see Valarie behind the counter as she glanced through the window. The tall girl was laughing with a customer as she handed over a cup of what seemed to be steaming coffee. There was a moment where Ellie’s eyes locked with Valarie’s as the other girl looked up from her till, and her eyes widened.

A hurried excuse was muttered to the customer as Valarie hurried around her counter and towards the door. Ellie took two small steps towards the entrance, but Valarie had her wrapped in a tight warm hug before she was even able to touch the door. As soon as she was enfolded in Valarie’s arms, Ellie let go of the hurt, the pain, and the fear she had carried around with her all her life. In between sobs and hiccups, she managed to spill the entirety of the fight into Valarie’s embrace, and the taller girl shushed her softly.

The ended up sitting in a booth inside the café, the customer having left to give them privacy to talk once she saw Ellie’s tear wet face. Valarie had put a cup of warm cocoa in front of Ellie, who had taken to sip carefully on the still too hot drink. They were sat in silence, Ellie not sure where to start and Valarie not willing to push. A full hour passed by before anyone said anything.

“They threw me out” Ellie said as she put her now empty cup of cocoa down on the table. Valarie’s eyes widened, she had met Mr. and Mrs. Martin, and while they seemed strict and had a love of tradition, she had never pictured them as the people to throw their only child out of the house because of a reason said child was unable to control.

“Did they say so?” Valarie asked. Ellie had a habit of jumping to conclusions, and this time there was no room for misunderstandings.

“They yelled it, actually” Ellie let out a low chuckle, the humourless laugh sounded wet and sad.

“You can live with me then, in my apartment” Valarie had already decided to give Ellie the offer the moment she saw the girl’s teary eyes through the window of the café.

“You sure?” Valarie only nodded as an answer, and the two girls fell silent. Valarie reached across the table and picked up Ellie’s hand, playing quietly with the smaller girl’s fingers as she hummed an unknown tune.

Ellie’s eyes were drawn to Valarie’s wrists and the black leather that covered them.

“You need only ask, if you’re wondering” Valarie’s voice was soft as she paused her humming, taking a proper hold of Ellie’s hand. Ellie looked up at her face, surprise that the older girl acknowledged her curious look.

“It is not my place. It is a personal thing, and I do not need to know” Ellie smiled softly. She knew that Valarie had never shown her names to anyone, and just the offer to see the revolutionary’s sacred names made her heart jump.

“I am offering to show you, you did not ask. No boundaries have been broken, and I understand your curiosity. I find myself sitting with the same issue” Valarie’s face was serious, but Ellie did not answer.

“Can we make a deal out of it, an exchange. I see your names, and you see mine.” Ellie had almost forgotten that she had not shown her names herself, and faced with the opportunity to show Valarie the most private part of herself, she was not certain what she wanted.

“There is no pressure, but I really would like to know why you are hiding your names from everyone, and it is only fair that you get to see mine in return” Valarie’s reasoning made sense to Ellie, and she nodded slowly. Valarie gave her a smile and rolled up the sleeves from her uniform, exposing the black leather wristbands for Ellie to see. In short practiced movements, Valarie had removed the covering and revealed her wrists to Ellie, who were surprised to see her own name written in neat black on Valarie’s left wrist. Though the name on the other arm drew her attention before she could really think it through.

“Isn’t Thomas Potter your father?” Ellie asked as she looked up at Valarie with huge eyes.

“Yeah, he is. I always wondered why my own father would be my worst enemy. Turns out he was a massive transphobe. He threw me out the second I mention I wasn’t _actually_ a boy” Valarie’s sigh was sad, and Ellie could not help but give her hands a supporting squeeze.

“I am over it, it was a long time ago. Can I see yours?” Ellie seemed to tense up at Valarie’s request, but then she was reminded of her own name being written on Valarie’s left wrist, and not just her own. She removed her hand from Valarie’s to roll up her sleeve, and then slowly peel away the dark cloth that had been covering her darkest secret for most of her life.

Valarie stopped her movements just before the name was reviled.

“I need you to know, no matter what, you will meet no judgment from me” Ellie let out a breath she did not know she had been holding at Valarie’s reassuring voice. The wristband was removed from first her right then her left wrist. The only recognition Valarie made to seeing the name was a short intake of breath, then Ellie’s hands were again in hers.

“You are the strongest woman I have ever met, Ellie. I want you to know that. And I will always be here to help you love yourself. I am not saying that it will be easy, or that we will be able to live a happily ever after, but we will help each other through it” Valarie’s voice was so certain and full of hope that Ellie could not help but tear up again.

“Do you now know what these names means, Valarie? I will always be my own worst enemy, how can I manage to live like that?” Ellie’s voice was shaking again.

“I know that you are supposed to be your own worst enemy, but I also see the same name on your left wrist. You are destined to love yourself, Ellie, and I am going to make sure that one day having your name on your left wrist is more important to you than having it on your right. And I have my own left wrist to let me know that being there for you will be worth it, all the way” Valarie’s voice was filled with passion, and she seemed so sure of herself.

“I cannot promise that I will be able to ever love you as you love me, Valarie, I do not know if I am able to” Ellie said. Her voice still had a slight tremor, but she seemed more certain of her future. Valarie’s determination seemed to fuel her own, and she knew in that moment that they would both be fine.

“I do not need you to, Ellie. I have no need to see my name permanently written on your body. All I need is that you let me help you love yourself for who you are, then I can live happily for the rest of my life. What is in a name anyway? It isn’t important, as long as we’re together, none of that matters” Valarie said, her voice suddenly low and tender as she leant across the table.

Ellie’s hands were still holding tight to Valarie’s as she too lent over the small table, meeting her in the middle for a loving kiss in the small night open café hidden in the shadow of a tall skyscraper, tucked into a forgotten corner of the big city.


End file.
